Boring type mining machine with tilt limiting means



Oct. 2, 1956 c. A. WILMS 2,755,154

BORING TYPE MINING MACHINE WITH TILT LIMITING MEANS Filed NOV. 12, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 inter/[0r C. A. WILMS Oct. 2, 1956 BORING TYPE MINING MACHINE WITH TILT LIMITING MEANS Filed Nov. 12, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 r 5 mm m W w a N h/ 4 I r f -Dr 0 n u m n my u n En U r. n Kn wm \M E G N Q N \N %h D Q 0 NM mm Q 6 .mM 0 o o N u u u m o o u mm @N m i1 1 1 u c .D n U -Q n u u NN & mm

C. A. WlLMS Oct. 2, 1956 BORING TYPE MINING MACHINE WITH TILT LIMITING MEANS Filed Nov. 12, 1953 5 sneaks-sheet s Patented Oct. 2, 1956 BORHNG TYPE MINING MACHINE W 1TH TILT LllVIITlNG MEANS Carl A. Wiims, Chicago, 111., assignor to Goodman Mannfactnring Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Iliinois Application November 12, 1953, Serial No. 391,493

3 Claims. (Cl. 262-7) This invention relates to improvements in mining machines of the type having multiple boring heads, the general type being disclosed in McKinley Patent No. 1,603,261, and more particularly to a novel construction for controlling the maximum degree of tilt of the cutting head of such machines, as may be necessary to compensate for an effect known as spiralling, when one of the cutter arms may tend to cut at a different level than its juxtaposed arm during forward motion of the cutter head.

In the improved machines of the general type referred to, the cutting head may be tilted in a plane parallel to the working face to compensate for the tendency of the cutter head to spiral. Such tendency to spiral may be corrected by tilting the head through an angle of approximately 3.

The construction according to the present invention may be incorporated in a machine such as that disclosed in a co-pending application of James S. Robbins, Serial No. 390,519, filed November 6, 1953, owned by the assignee of this application, for Improvements in Supports for Cutter Heads of Boring Type Mining Machines. Ac cording to the present invention the piston rods of the lifting cylinders for the cutter heads are each provided with a relieved portion past which a fluid actuated pin or locking member is arranged to move. The relieved portions of the pistons are of such dimension that one of the pins engages the top of one of the relieved portions of one cylinder whilst the other pin engages the bottom of the relieved portion of the other cylinder, such positions of the pins being that for the usual maximum angle of tilt.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a simple device which will limit the tilting movement of the cutter head of a multiple bore miner in a plane parallel to the working face to a maximum value, but which will allow tilting of the head to be varied as desired below such maximum value.

Other objects and important features of the invention will be apparent from a study of the specification following taken with the drawings which together illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention and what is now considered to be the best mode of practicing the principles thereof. Other embodiments may be suggested to those having the benefit of the teachings herein and it is therefore intended that the scope of the invention not be limited by the precise form herein illustrated nor otherwise than by the purview of the subjoined claims.

In the drawings;

Fig. 1 is a side view of a multiple bore type of mining machine having embodied therein the improvements according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a view of the cutter head of the machine shown in Fig. 1, said view being in the direction of the arrows 2--2 of Fig. 1, and to a larger scale than shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detailed side view of one of the lifting cylinders for the auxiliary frame shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken along the plane 44 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows and showing tilt controlling means for the auxiliary frame of Fig. 1;

'Fig. 5 is a somewhat schematic showing of the auxiliary frame of Fig. 1, showing the relative positions taken by the auxiliary frame after raising thereof and prior to the operation of the tilt controlling means; and

Fig. 5a shows the positions adopted by the lifting cylinders for the auxiliary frame during tilting thereof, and showing the means for controlling the amount of tilt, the tilt being shown to an exaggerated degree.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the improvements according to the present invention are embodied in a mining machine indicated generally by the reference numeral 10, and including a main frame 11 mounted upon crawler treads 12. The main frame 1 1 affords a support for an endless conveyor 18 having a forward gathering end 14 and a discharge boom 16 at the discharge end of the machine 10.

The discharge boom .16 is swinga'ble in a horizontal plane by swing cylinders 17 about a vertical pivot VP, and raised and lowered in a vertical plane about a horizontal pivot HP by discharge boom raising and lowering cylinders, not shown.

The main frame '11 supports an auxiliary frame 18 which is raised and lowered by a pair of lifting cylinders 19 mounted rigidly on each side of the auxiliary frame 18. The cylinders 19 have pistons 21 which are anchored at their lower ends to the main frame 11 as will be described in more detail as this specification proceeds. The auxiliary frame 18 is capable of being tilted up and down with respect to the main frame 11 by means of tilting cylinders 22.

The auxiliary frame 18 supports a cutter head indicated generally by the reference numeral 23. The cutter head 23 includes a gear case 24 and a pair of boring arms 26, 26 mounted upon stub shafts 27 journalled in the gear case 24 upon laterally spaced horizontal axes. Each of the boring arms 26 carries cutter bits 28 which extend in a forward direction to dislodge material from the working face of a mine seam as the two arms are rotated. The arms 26 are rotated in timed relationship by means of a motor 29 mounted on the main frame 11 and connected to the gear case 24 by means of universally connected shaft 31.

The rotating arms partially overlap in their paths of rotation so as to cut a pair of overlapping bores. As is conventional with machines of the general type referred to, see Fig. 2, an endless chain 32 driven from a drive sprocket 33 is mounted on a shaft 34 extending from the gear case 24.

The endless chain 33 is guided at the top of the coal seam over a cutter chain bar 36, and at the bottom of the seam over a similar cutter chain bar 37. These two cutter chain bars 36 and 37 are moved apart in accordance with the thickness of the working seam by means of double acting cylinders 38 and coacting pistons 39.

Each end of the cutter chain bars 36 and 37 support idler sprockets 41 each mounted upon bell cranks 42 pivoted to the ends of the cutter bars 36 and 37 which are rocked to proper position through the medium of arms 43 coacting with the bell cranks 42 and the cutter from the cutting of a straight bore, means connecting said ciated cylinder, and fluid operated means for actuating pistons to said main frame including means enabling latsaid locking members. eral shifting of each of said pistons with respect to said main frame in accordance with such tilting, the combi- References Cited in the file of this patent nation therewith of means for enabling said auxiliary 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS frame to have not more than a maximum angle of tilt in 1 108 952 W 1 S t 1 1914 a plane parallel to the working face comprising a relieved {72696 g g 1929 portion on each of the pistons of said cyhnders, a locking 2,650,81 1 g Sept. 1953 member supported on each of said cylinders and arranged to enter the relieved portion on the piston of its asso- 10 

